Reviews

The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey

earlgreyhhot's review against another edition

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Boring, unlikeable characters

aisling214's review against another edition

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2.0

it was actually a tad better than i expected...and i wasnt expecting much :P

kerry2046's review against another edition

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1.0

no

jklbookdragon's review against another edition

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3.0

I enjoyed the second half of the book, but like many other readers, it isn't enough to outweigh how rapey Siegfried is in the first half. That's simply not ok, even if you need to redeem someone - they can be in need of redemption without being a racist rapist. Odile, daughter of the sorcerer, is a well-developed character and really her story arc is the focus of the story, as perhaps it should be since she's the titular black swan.

ofearna's review against another edition

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4.0

Possibly the best thing about this book, which tells a lovely tale, is the gorgeous cover art by Jody A Lee.

In the UK Jon Sullivan did an equally lovely cover, so ...

egdm's review against another edition

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4.0

This is an interesting take on the Swan Princess tale. I found it to be an alright read.

heliopteryx's review against another edition

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I read this book up until the scene where the prince stumbles upon a woman bathing in the forest. I could tell a
scene of rape was about to occur
and the way the prince was rationalizing it in his mind really stressed me out. I have fortunately never had this experience, but like many, I have had boundaries violated by someone who made excuses for their behaviour because they wanted it badly enough. 

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withthebanned's review against another edition

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4.0

Originally reviewed here

The Black Swan is part of Mercedes Lackey’s Fairy Tales series and it is a loose retelling of the story of Swan Lake. Like the original story, the princess Odette is turned into a swan by a sorcerer who vows that she will be turned back into her original form if her lover, Prince Siegfriend remains faithful to her. The sorcerer, Baron Von Rothbart, uses his daughter to trick the prince into betraying Odette so that she will be forced to remain in her swan form.

I am not extremely familiar with the original story (Okay, so I’ve only seen the Barbie version) but like most retellings, Mercedes Lackey molded this story into her own. The characters gain more depth and the reader is able to understand their motives. Even the Baron becomes a more solid character, as his motives are made clear though still rather unjust. I was extremely impressed with Lackey’s addition of another villain in the form of Queen Clothilde. She was the epitome of evil and made The Baron look almost innocent in his wicked ways. Prince Siegfried is a rather hard hero to fall in love with as he is represented as a womanizer and to be quite honest, I hated him for most of the story. Furthermore, though the reader thinks this story to be centered around the swan maiden, Odette, it is really Odile who takes center stage in the tale. Odette plays her part as the pure maiden seamlessly but it is Odile’s inner turmoil and growth that really draws the reader and helps one become invested in her tale.

This was one of the first fantasy books I picked up as a young adult, I read it so many times that my paperback fell apart and my mother bought me a hardcover as a replacement. I hadn’t picked this up in years but once I started reading it again I was immediately drawn in as I was so many years ago. I love the relationship between Odile and her father and I love the strength she gains as the story progresses. Each character grows in a different way and the relationships between everyone progressed in relatable and interesting ways. I also adored the land that Lackey creates. At one point Odile is using magic to carve out a “home” out of a treen for herself and the swan maidens and for some reason it is a part that stuck with me for years, the image is forever etched in my mind.

I still have yet to read anything else by Mercedes Lackey but I hope to read the rest of her Fairy Tales as well as her Elemental Masters series because I have heard wonderful things about both. This novel comes highly recommended to lovers of fantasy, strong female characters and those who love their fairy tale retellings as much as I do.

katica's review against another edition

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2.0

The male hero, Siegfried, was anything BUT a hero. He sleeps with nearly every woman he comes across, then rapes a woman who then kills herself. Oh, but once the woman starts to haunt him, only then does he realize that he *might* have done something wrong, and magically turns into the good guy we are supposed to root for- except I was so repulsed by him that I secretly hoped that he would not get the girl, or get something as equally horrific as rape done to him- but nope, just a few nightmares. And all is forgiven.

The only redeeming point of this story is Odile, who fights her way out of naiveté into taking control of herself and her magic.

booksnorkel's review against another edition

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Swan lake told from the view point of the beautiful and cold Odile. My personal favorite I have always loved Odile as a villain and in the Japanese anime version of this is how I always imagine when reading about this ballet.

This re-made fairy tale is about how women of the middle ages were thought of by themselves and the men in their lives. Very interesting tale, I would recommend this to someone looking for vacation read, or finals stress relief. Also if you are taking a class on re-vamped fairy tales, or in need of a fiction book for a woman's studies class.

The idea that Odile wasn't as bad as she is portrayed speaks to my inner child who has always loved the dark brunette, or the silver haired witch over the pure golden swan queen.